Spatially differential regulation of ATF2 phosphorylation contributes to warning coloration of gregarious locusts

Abstract

Warning coloration are common defense strategies used by animals to deter predators. Pestilential gregarious locusts exhibit a notable black-brown pattern as a form of warning coloration. However, the mechanisms regulating this distinctive pattern remain largely unknown. Here, we revealed that the black and brown integuments of locusts are governed by varying amounts of β-carotene and β-carotene–binding protein (βCBP) complexes. β CBP expression is regulated by the bZIP transcription factor activation transcription factor 2 (ATF2), which is activated by protein kinase C alpha in response to crowding. Specifically, ATF2 is phosphorylated at Ser 327 and translocates to the nucleus, where it binds to the β CBP promoter and stimulates overexpression. Differential phosphorylation of ATF2 leads to the divergent black and brown coloration in gregarious locusts. The accumulation of red pigments vital for creating the brown sternum depends on βCBP overexpression. The spatial variation in ATF2 phosphorylation enables locusts to rapidly adapt to changing environment for aposematism.

Parental experiences orchestrate locust egg hatching synchrony by regulating nuclear export of precursor miRNA

“…FOXN1 responds to high density at the protein level rather than the mRNA level, similar to other TFs that mediate the signaling cascade of density-dependent phenotypic plasticity of locusts 41 , 55 . Post-transcriptional regulation facilitates the coordination of TF activity with external environmental changes in a precise and rapid manner 56 , 57 . A variety of regulatory factors may be involved in regulation of FOXN1 protein in response to density signals.…”